Table, desk, or the like



Dec. 10, 1963 M. c. BARNARD TABLE, DESK, OR THE LIKE Filed Oct. 27, 1961 IN V EN TOR.

United States Patent Oil ice 3,113,531 Patented Dec. 10, 1963 assignor of one-half to Lavinia J. Palmer, Lawrenceviile, Va.

Filed Get- 2.7, 1961, Ser. No. 148,176 Claims. (Cl. 108115) This invention relates to a table, desk or the like and particularly, but not necessarily, adapted for use by stu dents, and is of a construction enabling expeditious folding or collapse to and from an operative substantially horizontal position and an attenuated upstanding position to occupy minimum space when not in use.

A prime aim is to provide such a structure having a top attached to a support by a novel bracket means which permits ready movement to and from upstanding and horizontal positions as well as effective support against accidental folding in the latter position.

A second aim is to provide such a structure wherein the folding and unfolding relative to the support includes a special bracket means carried by the table top which is pin and slot-connected with the support for pivotal and sliding movements to attain the end sought.

A third object is to have such an attaching means employing a novel bracket device provided with a pin and enlarged slot connection, and means on the bracket to underlap the support to thereby hold the top in horizontal position.

Another object is to provide such a structure with an upright support having a head thereon and a bracket means carried by the table top which is pin and inclined slot connected to the support such as a standard to underlap the head in the operative position of the structure.

Still another object is to provide such a structure having a collapsible base support capable of folding into an attenuated form essentially through a practically continuous motion including folding of the table top and raising of the entire structure.

Various additional objects and advantages will be pointed out or become apparent from a. consideration of the specification following taken in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating one operative embodiment by way of example.

In said drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of

the table, desk or the like;

FIG. 2 is a view in edge elevation showing the article in attenuated form;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged View primarily showing the connection between the top and standard, the latter parts being shown fragmentarily;

FIG. 4 is a view of the parts of FIG. 3 showing the table top in horizontal position and suggesting initiation of the folding thereof out of such position in dot-dash lines, the section being taken substantially on line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 66 of FIG. 1.

Referring specifically to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like or similar parts throughout the views, 10 designates the top of a table, students desk, or the like, usually horizontal or substmtially so, which is primarily attached to a vertical standard or post 11, and which latter has at its floorengaging base a tripod-like or other suitable support 12.

Rigid with the top of said standard 11 is a suitably shaped head 13 which has at one or both ends of the standard 11 a bifurcated portion 14, each bifurcated portion comprising a pair of plates 15 with a space or slot 16 intermediate the same and open at top, bottom and one side of the head.

Fastened to the top 10 at the under surface thereof as by means of screws or other fastenings 17 are brackets 18, one for each bifurcated portion 14, said fastenings 17 passing through the brackets and specifically securing flanges 19 thereof. Said brackets at one end extend into the slots 16. Further, the brackets have slots 17' through which bolts 18" pass to pivotally connect the brackets and table top to the Walls 14. It will be noted that the slots 17' are enlarged or inclined, and in the position of FIG. 4 converge downwardly with respect to the left hand or closed side of the head 13'.

Brackets 18 are cut away at 18" for clearance. In the horizontal position of the top 10, said brackets 18 at lugs 20 underlap shoulders 14* afforded by the closed end walls of the bifurcated portions 14 and support the table top in horizontal or operative position against accidental unfolding or collapse therefrom, that is, to the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The angle of the slots 17' enables both pivotal movement of the brackets on the bolts or pins 18 and also slight lateral movement of such brackets to enable the lugs 20 to engage and disengage the head at the bifurcated portions 14, as is necessary in folding the table top from the operative position as in FIGS. 1 and 4 to collapsed position as in FIGS. 2 and 3, and also in restoring said top from the vertical position of FIGS. 2 and 3 to the horizontal position of FIGS. 1 and 4. The upper surface of the head 13 is fiat and Olf sufficient area that the top 10 when unfolded will rest thereon and be securely held in that position aided by the underlapping of the head 13 at shoulders 14 by lugs 20 as in FIG. 3.

The slight lateral movement of the brackets 18 permitted by the slots 17 allows the brackets 18 and top it) to be tilted on the upper edge of the closed side of head 13* as in the dot-dash position of FIG. 4 to slide or move the lugs 20 to the right in FIG. 4, so that there will be a suflicient distance so that the brackets will clear the head 13 when swung on the axis of the pins or bolts 18 in the opposite direction to the position of FIGS. 2 and 3.

The tripod-like support 12 consists of a suitable number of legs 21 which are pivoted to and between pairs of lugs 23 of a collar 24 which is adjustably fastened on the standard 11, being fastened thereto in the adjusted positions by the binding action of a suitable screw 25 threaded to the collar. When said legs 21 are in normal or spread position, angular upper end sunfaces 26 abut standard 11. Upon the structure as a whole being lifted, the legs 21 swing on pivots 22 by gravity into the retracted position of FIG. 2, where they are but slightly spread and limited to an angle close to the vertical by contact with inclined abutting faces 29 on said collar 24 and in which condition the entire structure is so folded that the arrangement and weight of the top 10 is insufficient to spread the legs to the normal position and thus it will remain in attenuated form.

In operation, the structure when in the condition of FIG. 1 is used as a table, students desk or otherwise, the top being substantially horizontal and resting on the flat upper surface of the head 13 secured against accidental displacement therefrom by pivotal movement on the axis of bolts 18 because lugs 20 are in underlapping with the head 13 as shown in FIG. 4.

In folding the structure (from the position of FIG. 1 to that of FIG. 2, the top is initially tilted on the upper edge of the closed side of head 13' (FIG. 4) into the dot-dash position of that figure, swinging on the axis of pins or bolts 18' and laterally moving the lugs 20 away from the closed side of head 13* to clear the same, whereupon the top is tilted or swung on the axis of the bolts 18 in the opposite direction to theposition shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. At the same time incidentally to the said second tilting movement of the top 19, and in fact both tilting movements thereof and thus practically one continuous movement, the structure as a whole will be lifted, and legs 21 will fall to the slightly off-vertical folded or attenuated position of FIG. 2 so that it will occupy but minimum space when not being used or in storage.

Various changes may be resorted to, provided they fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim: I

1. A foldable table having a top movable to and from an approximately horizontal utile position and a hanging position, a standard having a head provided with an upper surface to support said top in utile position, said head having an upright slot, an upright wall at said head at one extremity of said slot and the slot being otherwise open, bracket means on the normally under surface of said top which in utile position projects into the slot and extends away from said wall, said bracket means having a part spaced from said normally under surface to engage said wall in spaced relation to the top to embrace the wall therebetween in said utile position of the top, a pivot pin-and-elongated slot connection at said head and bracket means, the elongated slot of said connection in said utile position of the top inclining at an angle generally upwardly and away from the zone of engagement of said part and wall, said wall being disposed on one side of the vertical axis of the standard and said head also projecting beyond said axis to the side of said head opposite said wall, whereby with said part engaged with said wall, the said top cannot be tilted downwardly with respect to the standard from any side, the construction enabling the bracket means to be swung on the axis of the pin and slidably moved on the pin to engage and disengage said part and wall to permit movement of the top to and from said positions without interference by the presence of said wall.

2. A table according to claim 1 wherein there is clearance from said part bounded by said bracket, wall and undersur face of said top.

3. A table according to claim 1 wherein said bracket means is elongated and has means facilitating its attachment to said top.

4. A table according to claim 1 wherein said head and bracket means are located completely within the imaginary downward extension of the margin of said top in the utile position of the latter.

5. A table according to claim 1, wherein said head is duplicated on opposite sides of the upright axis of said standard, said bracket means are duplicated, and the duplicationsrespectively co-act with the said duplications of the head.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS stir-11 

1. A FOLDABLE TABLE HAVING A TOP MOVABLE TO AND FROM AN APPROXIMATELY HORIZONTAL UTILE POSITION AND A HANGING POSITION, A STANDARD HAVING A HEAD PROVIDED WITH AN UPPER SURFACE TO SUPPORT SAID TOP IN UTILE POSITION, SAID HEAD HAVING AN UPRIGHT SLOT, AN UPRIGHT WALL AT SAID HEAD AT ONE EXTREMITY OF SAID SLOT AND THE SLOT BEING OTHERWISE OPEN, BRACKET MEANS ON THE NORMALLY UNDER SURFACE OF SAID TOP WHICH IN UTILE POSITION PROJECTS INTO THE SLOT AND EXTENDS AWAY FROM SAID WALL, SAID BRACKET MEANS HAVING A PART SPACED FROM SAID NORMALLY UNDER SURFACE TO ENGAGE SAID WALL IN SPACED RELATION TO THE TOP TO EMBRACE THE WALL THEREBETWEEN IN SAID UTILE POSITION OF THE TOP, A PIVOT PIN-AND-ELONGATED SLOT CONNECTION AT SAID HEAD AND BRACKET MEANS, THE ELONGATED SLOT OF SAID CONNECTION IN SAID UTILE POSITION OF THE TOP INCLINING AT AN ANGLE GENERALLY UPWARDLY AND AWAY FROM THE ZONE OF ENGAGEMENT OF SAID PART AND WALL, SAID WALL BEING DISPOSED ON ONE SIDE OF THE VERTICAL AXIS OF THE STANDARD AND SAID HEAD ALSO PROJECTING BEYOND SAID AXIS TO THE SIDE OF SAID HEAD OPPOSITE SAID WALL, WHEREBY WITH SAID PART ENGAGED WITH SAID WALL, THE SAID TOP CANNOT BE TILTED DOWNWARDLY WITH RESPECT TO THE STANDARD FROM ANY SIDE, THE CONSTRUCTION ENABLING THE BRACKET MEANS TO BE SWUNG ON THE AXIS OF THE PIN AND SLIDABLY MOVED ON THE PIN TO ENGAGE AND DISENGAGE SAID PART AND WALL TO PERMIT MOVEMENT OF THE TOP TO AND FROM SAID POSITIONS WITHOUT INTERFERENCE BY THE PRESENCE OF SAID WALL. 